Cardinal Timothy Dolan is a former Archbishop of Milwaukee, and conducted mass at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist. Cardinal James Harvey is from Milwaukee and works in Rome. Cardinal Raymond Burke is a former Archbishop of La Crosse.

Archibishop Jerome Listecki, who is eligible to become a cardinal, said he is watching the events at the Vatican with a sense of excitement, anticipation and personal interest.

He is paying particular attention since his predecessor in the Milwaukee diocese, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, is participating for the first time.

"I think that's what makes it an exciting time," Listecki said. "To use the analogy, we have a pony in the show."

In fact, Wisconsin has three cardinals with Wisconsin ties. In addition to Dolan, Cardinal James Harvey is from Milwaukee and works in Rome, and Cardinal Raymond Burke is a former archbishop of La Crosse.

Listecki follows in the footsteps of two cardinals, as he was appointed bishop of the La Crosse diocese in 2004, and archbishop of Milwaukee in 2009.

While some have asked whether a cardinal would ever turn down the papacy, Listecki said it's not something you would necessarily say no to. He had a similar feeling when he was asked to serve as archbishop of Milwaukee.

"First thing I said was there were other individuals who were very well qualified and maybe more qualified than myself to lead the archdiocese," Listecki said. "The response back from the apostolic delegate was, 'No, the pope has selected you."'

Listecki said it's perfectly fine to be excited and follow the speculation, but the process should remain grounded in faith.

"With all the hoopla that surrounds it, we always have to bring it back to this is a movement of the Holy Spirit," he said. "We have to realize that this macrocosm of the chursh is founded in the microcosm of the parish."

The cardinals cast their first ballot on Tuesday, and did not identify a two-thirds majority candidate. The cardinals will reconvene in the Sistine Chapel on Wednesday for up to four more votes.